http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6557272.html...ferral=SUPP&nid=2228

Warner Bros. to Take Over Daytime Programming for The CW and sitcoms from Warner Bros. Domestic TV to air on Warner Bros.-CBS joint venture from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m.

By Ben Grossman -- Broadcasting & Cable, 5/5/2008 1:01:00 AM

Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution will supply programming for The CW’s 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. weekday block, according to a pending deal between the corporate cousins.


Beginning this fall, The CW, jointly owned by CBS and Warner Bros., will air Telepictures Productions’ rookie court show Judge Jeanine Pirro from 3 to 4, followed by a comedy block featuring The Wayans Bros. and The Jamie Foxx Show.


Eventually, The CW would like to have two full hours of first-run product in the block by next year. WBDTD and The CW originally discussed doing that immediately, but decided to just start with one hour for now.


While the network does promote prime time in the block, CW executives know the daytime court audience is not exactly the core Gossip Girl viewership. The daytime block marks one-third of the 30 hours the network programs.


But CW chief operating officer John Maatta says the move gives CW affiliates stronger programming in the block, which leads into comedies on most stations at 5. “Mainly we hope this will help our stations, which ultimately will help us,” he says. “This is an affiliate play for Tribune and our other stations.”


WBDTD president Ken Werner says the block is a perfect transitional lineup for the stations, which have early afternoon talk shows (like Maury and Jerry Springer) and court shows until 3, and then go into comedies at 5.


The block had consisted of comedies including All of Us, What I Like About You and Reba.


“If you look at the available audience, the combination of court with some iconic stars in sitcoms seems like a smart strategy,” Werner says.


The Wayans Bros. and Jamie Foxx are also probably better fits with the stations’ daytime audience, and are both well known to the former UPN stations that are now carrying The CW.


Maatta says the network looked at several first-run genres including court, talk and game shows, and talked to several potential partners. But keeping the pipeline in the company through a barter arrangement made financial sense and he was happy with the product WBDTD offered him.


“Obviously our partners at Warner Bros. have expertise in the genre,” Maatta says.


The new court show will originate in Chicago. Fellow gaveler Greg Mathis (Judge Mathis) will consult and his executive producer, Bo Banks, will handle the same duties for Pirro.


WBDTD previously had a show featuring Pirro, the former Westchester County (N.Y.) District Attorney and regular contributor to Fox News Channel in development. But until now the company never found a launch vehicle that made economic sense.


Telepictures president Hilary Estey McLoughlin hopes Pirro’s personality and experience, which includes a recent run for New York State Attorney General, will help her stand out in the crowded court genre.


And Werner is unconcerned by a perceived glut of court shows.


“All of court is down, but when you find a personality you think will work, you place that bet,” he says. “More often than not those bets have worked out for us.”

Good Lord, there aren't enough court shows on already? And why would they think that the Wayans Bros and Jamie Foxx are better lead ins to primetime than the shows that are already there? It seems like WILAY would bring exactly the audience that the CW is looking for in primetime. Hopefully their full block of original programming will be better than what they plan to put there now.

Maybe this is to counter the CW taking over the successful kids WB Saturday.

This is a real head-shaker move by The CW, but also by Warner Television, who has a whole library of goodies that are a better fit to the W18-34 demo that the network targets.

Although The CW doesn't release its daytime numbers for All of Us / WILAY / Reba / Reba, I would bet that they pull in about four or five times the W18-34 demo that this proposed schedule will produce.

Why couldn't Warner have dusted off some of its prime WB comedies / dramas for stripping in this slot. Oh yeah, those are destined to go to wb.com, which is what the daytime W18-34 demo will probably be watching.

Perplexing! And doomed to failure. And just as perplexing as replacing kidsWB with the same outsourced content that FOX uses on Saturday mornings.

hmmm CBS barely trying to make amends.... another reality show does'nt sound like a tremendous deal. It would be a better deal if Warner was given the rights to weekend nighttime schedule. 2 nights of original programing. They could create own dramas, comedies.

WB needs to reclaim their legacy; create a cable network!

quote:

Originally posted by sasuga123:
It would be a better deal if Warner was given the rights to weekend nighttime schedule. 2 nights of original programing. They could create own dramas, comedies.

WB needs to reclaim their legacy; create a cable network!

Warner Bros already has TNT, TBS, Cartoon Network, CNN, CNNH, Court TV, and TCM.

Warner Brothers also makes a boatload of TV product for other networks (shows like Big Bang Theory, ER, Moonlight, 2&1/2Men, Without a Trace, and a bunch of daytime fare).

In my opinion, this wasn't a very smart move. There are already way too many court shows (I believe the Columbus, Ohio, CW affiliate already has two to three hours of court room shows), and the CW's target audience probably isn't going to really care about the two comedies.

quote:

Originally posted by Jonathan:
Maybe this is to counter the CW taking over the successful kids WB Saturday.

My younger bros watch "Kids' WB."

And I believe, starting on May 24th, "Kids' WB" will be renamed to "CW 4Kids." And I guess they are not waiting for the 2008-2009 FALL SEASON for the rebranding of "Kids' WB" to happen. They want it before the SUMMER SEASON begins.

quote:

Originally posted by dumont:
This is a real head-shaker move by The CW, but also by Warner Television, who has a whole library of goodies that are a better fit to the W18-34 demo that the network targets.

Although The CW doesn't release its daytime numbers for All of Us / WILAY / Reba / Reba, I would bet that they pull in about four or five times the W18-34 demo that this proposed schedule will produce.

Why couldn't Warner have dusted off some of its prime WB comedies / dramas for stripping in this slot. Oh yeah, those are destined to go to wb.com, which is what the daytime W18-34 demo will probably be watching.

Perplexing! And doomed to failure. And just as perplexing as replacing kidsWB with the same outsourced content that FOX uses on Saturday mornings.

I don't think so those shows are pulling good ratings. I watch WILAY/Reba/All of Us. But I guess those RERUNS would not even reach a viewership of 950,000 viewers or even 900,000 viewers.

quote:

Originally posted by dumont:
This is a real head-shaker move by The CW, but also by Warner Television, who has a whole library of goodies that are a better fit to the W18-34 demo that the network targets.

Although The CW doesn't release its daytime numbers for All of Us / WILAY / Reba / Reba, I would bet that they pull in about four or five times the W18-34 demo that this proposed schedule will produce.

Why couldn't Warner have dusted off some of its prime WB comedies / dramas for stripping in this slot. Oh yeah, those are destined to go to wb.com, which is what the daytime W18-34 demo will probably be watching.

Perplexing! And doomed to failure. And just as perplexing as replacing kidsWB with the same outsourced content that FOX uses on Saturday mornings.

My brothers were flipping through Saturday Moring Cartoons (including CABLE) and I don't see the "FOX Box" or "4Kids on FOX" or whatever the name is. I only see infomercials and some ads.